The Lovers Who Would Bethe Captain & someone new
by Jazza4
Summary: Mariah Cheasley has lived on Earth all her life, but she was always different. Now she has been asked to join the Torchwood team. Will she accept? Or will she have her mind wiped?
1. Meeting Wounded

Mariah Cheasley was a girl who, though she may have looked just like you or I, led a life of mystery and adventure. Mariah lived in Wales, in the city of Cardiff. She led two, exceptionally different, lives. On the one hand she had her singing career, her friends and her relaxed life.

But on the other hand Mariah had The Agency. The Agency she worked for took care of the crime on the streets and other rogue agencies out to kill innocent people. The Agency also dealt with the supernatural and the extraterrestrial. The Agency was run by and totally composed of women over the age of eighteen. Mariah had just made the cut, having just turned nineteen when the Agency approached her two years ago.

Mariah was approached by The Agency because of her 'abilities'. Mariah had been born with unexplainable, paranormal abilities, with which she made her job much easier for herself. A short list of her abilities include: telekinesis, telepathy, enhanced senses {i.e. hearing, sight, smell, touch & taste}, the ability to heal her-self and others of any injury {excluding death}, she learnt extremely quickly and had great agility. Mariah was also strong, witty and courageous.

Mariah first met the Torchwood team at a night club about a block and a half from her town apartment. And though Mariah didn't know who they were, she felt that they were good people… even if their leader did seem a little cheesy. Mariah sat down, and even played poker with them. And they grew to trust her.

As the night went on however, Mariah couldn't help feeling a certain and rather strong attraction towards the man they seemed to follow. This made her uneasy. Mariah had been trained by The Agency to hide all emotion, not to show a single soul how she truly felt inside, and for the first time in her life, she found this hard. She hadn't felt this way about anyone for years – not since her induction into the army aged seventeen, in which she rose to the rank of Major.

This man kept looking at her, and she wondered, did he know? Could he possibly know about her and her abilities? Mariah thought about this whilst playing a final round of poker with them until – Diling…Diling…Diling – her mobile went off, at which they all gave her a look that seemed to say 'what are you up to now?'

"Sorry, excuse me a moment will you?" Mariah asked

"Yeah… go for it." One of them replied

Mariah got up from the table and answered her phone – it was The Agency.

"_Are you in a secure location?"_ Came a woman's voice over the phone.

"No. Why would I be Serena?" Mariah replied. "Hold on a minute." Mariah made her way

out-side to better secure her location and also so no-one would be likely to hear her. "Ok,

what is it now?"

"_The Shade is needed again. Come on, I'll be out the front in two minutes to pick you _

_up" _Serena insisted. _"You're at the Monkey Club aren't you?"_

"Yes. Where else am I likely to be on a typical Thursday evening?" Mariah replied. "You'll need

to bring –"

"_I know - I've already got it with me…outside, two minutes."_

Mariah hung up, and headed back inside the bar. She collected her coat and bag and turned to go when she spotted two thugs sitting at a table near her. They were watching her every move. Mariah turned slowly on the spot until she was facing the group she had been talking to for the past hour, bade them farewell, and headed towards the door. Slowly at first as to not arouse suspicion, then quicker as she grew nearer the door. The next thing she knew, she was bolting down the ally way opposite from the club, heavy footsteps behind her, gaining all the time.

A door opened somewhere behind her and more people gained on her current position. Mariah spun around to face her pursuers, only to find them readying their guns to fire on her when 'BANG!' a shot was fired not from either of the thugs, but from directly behind them. One of the thugs dropped down dead. The other turned on the spot to shoot his partner's attacker only to be shot by another of the team which had come to her rescue with a stun gun. He fell, unconscious, to the ground.

Mariah watched the thug fall, for what seemed an eternity. The way the thug hit the ground made his expression seem almost peaceful. He came to a sudden stop, sending a cloud of dust into the air.

Mariah would not normally be so shocked to see such a thing as this, as it was usually her who shot the criminals down. She stared in astonishment at the faces of her saviors. They were none other that the group of people she had met and played poker with.

"Who are you?" Mariah asked. The expression on her face was hard to read, as the leader of the group tried to reassure her that everything was alright. He didn't answer her question, but merely escorted her back down the ally way, along the street adjacent from it and away from the scene of what had just happened. The others of the group dragged the unconscious thug along the street, ignoring looks from passers by. They heaved him into the back of an SUV whilst one of them beckoned for Mariah to come with them. She hesitated, then, as she started towards the car, her phone went off again.

Mariah answered it "Yeah what?"

"_Don't worry. Amy got him. Go back to whatever you were doing." _Came Serena's voice over the phone.

"Righto… will do. About to investigate something… can't talk. Bye." Mariah ended the conversation there and turned off her phone. She then walked slowly toward the SUV and the people who had helped her.

"Get in." One of them said to her in a rather unruly tone.

"Don't talk to her like that. Consider what she's just been through." Another of them scolded.

"Ianto's right Owen. Give it a rest will you."

"Ok, ok!" Replied the one they called Owen. "Will you please get in?"

Suddenly, another gunshot was heard and the team spun around to discover the source of the shot. But as they did, Mariah screamed in agony and fell to the ground holding her right side, blood spattered all over her clothes and arms. Blood spurted from the wound in her side, dazed with pain and confused; Mariah lay there clutching her side, feeling herself slip away from the scene and the noise of running feet and two more gunshots, before drifting off into darkness.


	2. Awakening to a Choice

Mariah's eyes fluttered open, revealing where she was. She seemed to be in some sort of medical facility in what looked like an underground base. Mariah sat up, but as she did so she felt a sharp pain in her side which her hand immediately clasped, she removed her hand and looked at where she had been shot. It had not healed as quickly as it normally would have but that was most likely because of the fact that she had been unconscious and unable to heal herself fully.

She stood up and looked over at the computer opposite her. It had medical information displayed on the screen and, as she looked more closely at it, found that it was her medical records that were being displayed on it. Mariah immediately went over for a closer look. It had all of her medical reports, examinations, tests, classified x-rays, MRI scans, the record of the autopsy she went through last year and something new. It seemed as though these people had run their own tests on her. She brought up an image which showed her internal organs and, yep, there it was… her second heart. Both hearts, side by side; one on the left and one on the right. Another image came up. It was a scan of her brain that showed what percentage of her brain she actually used every day. It definitely gave her away.

She heard a noise behind her and spun around quickly. Whoever they were, they were back and had probably already guessed that she was awake. Mariah saw a large pile of stacked boxes, seized her chance and hid behind them. They talked rather loudly.

"So she said – if she'd known what he was, she would never have married him!" said Jack.

"She knew! She knew all along." Tosh exclaimed.

"The thing that really gave him away though, was the slime in the bathtub." Owen put in.

"Ha. Aliens. No sense of hygiene." Jack laughed.

They laughed, but then –

"Um… hey guys, -" Ianto's voice quivered.

"Ha, ha – yeah." Chuckled Gwen.

"She's gone." Ianto replied.

The laughing ceased. And immediately, Mariah heard them scramble to find her.

"Where could she have gone? You said she was out cold!" Tosh scolded Owen.

"She was! Don't blame me!" Owen spat.

"I blame you!" Tosh sounded worried.

"Why me?" Owen asked.

"You always get mixed up with reports!" Gwen teased.

"Do not!" Owen retorted.

"Do so!" Gwen teased again.

"Do not!"

"Do so!"

"Hello? While I'm sure this argument on is spurning war! The rest of us are looking for the girl" Came the sound of Ianto's, now, cool and rather relaxed voice. It was unnerving.

Mariah shook with fear, and yet she didn't know why this scared her so. Footsteps drew nearer to her and she heard them whispering to each other. Someone tapped the other side of the boxes and Mariah had to steady her breathing as to not so easily give away her position.

There was more whispering, and Mariah heard one of them say that she wouldn't be so stupid as to hide in so obvious a place.

'_Nice.' _Mariah thought. _'Well, at least he doesn't think I'm stupid.'_

They moved off into another section of the place and Mariah came out of hiding and ran immediately for the exit. Once out there though, she found that the tunnel went of in two directions. To the right was a long passage way with an elevator at the end and to the left, another long passage that moved off into two more directions, the one going off to the right - a dead end, the one to the left leading down a long fleet of stairs.

She made her way back along the corridors and was half way towards the elevator when the lift doors opened, and out stepped Jack, Tosh and Owen. Mariah froze, then, slowly started to back away from the elevator, and them. Then, in a split second, turned on her heel and bolted for the stairs. They came pelting down the corridor after her, shouting –

"Ianto! She's headed for the stairs!" Jack yelled through his ear-piece as he bolted after her.

As she ran down the steep stair case, that seemed never ending, her footsteps echoed off the stone walls, breaking the silence. Her breathing was ragged and her heart was beating so fast that it threatened to break through her rib cage. She kept running, even though she knew that sooner or later they would catch her and drag her back into the main area of their underground base. She ran to the stairs and immediately started to leap down them two or three at a time, all the time the others gained on her. Mariah heard more feet pounding on stone and looked over the railing to discover another of the people chasing her bolting up the stairs to help the other three. Mariah was trapped! She looked around desperately for an escape route but could see none. She spun around to face the first three. They came hurtling down the stairs after her, but stopped after they saw she had.

"There's no way outta this one. Just come on back and we'll explain everything – " Jack insisted

"You ain't gonna stop me now!" Mariah yelled as she jumped over the railing, "Look out below!" Falling ten stories to the bottom of the flight of the stairs. Mariah looked up and suddenly remembered. "Hey, weren't there five of you?!?!" A door opened behind her. She turned on the spot to confront the missing member of the team. However, he was ready for her, shooting her with a stun gun. Mariah fell, unconscious, to the floor.


	3. In or Out

Mariah awoke to the sound of quiet talking. She sat up and turned on the spot to see them watching her quietly from the overlooking railing.

"Somehow… I told you so, just doesn't quite cut it." Said Jack. "I will say this for you however. You gave us a hell of a run for our money! What's you're name?"

Mariah stayed silent for a moment, shuddered violently and then replied –

"Mariah Cheasley. You?"

"Captain Jack Harkness. This is Gwen Cooper, Dr. Owen Harper, Toshiko Sato and Ianto Jones – who gets us every where on time." Jack said, first motioning to himself then to the others. Ianto smiled warmly, as if reassuring her. "Pleasure to meet you… though I'm sure that pleasure's all mine." A smile played at the corners of his mouth as his eyes swept up and down her body.

"So. Have any idea why those guys were after you? Of course, if you don't then that's fine, but any information that may be able to help us, don't hesitate to speak up."

"Nope." She lied, "No idea…why?" Mariah inquired.

"Blunt and to the point. Not sure if I like that but it's fine for now. Ummm… no reason worth knowing." Jack smiled at her seductively.

"I'm not stupid Captain. _You_ followed me to that bar, _you_ insisted on joining me, _you_ who came to my rescue." Mariah paused, allowing for this to sink in before continuing. "You _knew_ something before you even set foot in that club."

They looked at each other now, suspicious looks on all their faces. But Mariah wasn't going to let them get out of this next one.

"So… what happens to me now?" she asked. "I can identify you. I mean – I know your names, what you do-"

"So, what? You're gonna tell someone?" Jack's head snapped up as he said this.

"Yeah if I have to." Mariah retorted. This however produced invisible snickers from the other members of the team.

"Do you really want that? Do you really want us to go after them too?" the look on Jack's face made her nervous, but it also gave her the feeling of adrenalin pumping though her veins. Why was that? Fear?

"You bastard!" Mariah's eyes flashed from his face to the others and then to stairwell.

"Nooo. You're not going anywhere." Jack looked into her eyes and saw the fear there.

Mariah reached out with her mind toward his. Looking, searching for something that might be of use to her… she found it. "You gonna put me in one of those cell things where you keep aliens? Is that it? Coz, if that's what you're thinking 'pal', then you'd better think again!" desperation for a way out suddenly became evident on her face, for only a second and then… a blank look washed over her face as she heard the thoughts of Gwen. At least one person knew what human rights were. But… as Mariah pondered this she came to the realization that those rights may not apply to her.

"Mariah?" Owan's voice cut into her thoughts. "Where do you go when you fuzz out like that?"

"None of your business." Mariah was suddenly very aware of just how close Owen and Jack were to her in comparison to the rest of the team. Mariah took an involuntary step back. The look on Jack's face went from concern to caution in an instant, taking a step toward her in the same instant she had stepped backwards.

"You haven't answered my question yet." She put in to distract them. It worked.

"You mean the one about what's going to happen now? That's quite easy to answer. You can either tell us what we would like to know -"

"Another way to say 'We want to know' which is kinda old."

"Or. We can put you in a cell with what I believe will soon become your worst nightmare."

"I think I'll take my worst nightmare over telling you any day." Mariah muttered to herself.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Owen's voice, once again, made her loose her train of thought.

"Nothing." She paused. "Just that I'd take my worst nightmare over disclosing any information about myself, any day."

"Hmmm… she's not going to budge Jack." Tosh remarked

"Yeah. Her file said she was known for being stubborn… and of getting out of tight fixes. Could you maybe explain that for us?" Jack had a certain gleam to him as he said this, like he knew he was provoking her.

"I thought I just said that I wasn't going to tell you anything." Mariah looked away from them toward the same computer that she had been looking at earlier. It still had all her medical history spread out all over the screen. There were things they wanted her to explain that she could just not tell them. They seemed like reasonable enough people, and she didn't want them to get hurt because of her.

"Mariah. We know this is all pretty overwhelming but you need to understand that there are certain things about you that we need to know." Gwen tried to reason with her.

"For example?" asked Mariah.

"For example, why you have two hearts. Why that gunshot wound didn't kill you. How you knew about the alien holding cells we had here. Just small things like that." Gwen wasn't trying to make her tell her anything like Jack and Owen had been, she was allowing her the choice of answering or not. Mariah did want to tell them now, but she simply couldn't.

"If I could tell you I would, but I can't, so I won't ok." Mariah said this rather quickly. Too quickly. Now they were all staring at her, as if trying to force her into submission.

"Why can't you?" inquired Jack.

"If I did the consequences could be…severe. I don't want to hurt anyone-"

"You won't. I promise." Jack seemed sincere, but Mariah wanted to hurt him least of all. Mariah's face went blank again as she criticized herself for allowing herself to admit she had feelings for this guy. He was rather attractive, and he did have gorgeous eyes, but – _'Stop it'_ she thought to herself but her mind wondered again, until –

"Mariah? Mariah snap out of it!" it was Tosh's voice whose had brought her, hurtling, back to reality.

"Whoa!" Mariah tripped backwards over something, only to be caught by Jack. A sharp pain splintered up her side making her face contort with the pain of it.

"Steady there." Jack set her back on her feat, and held her steady. "Owen, I think you should check that wound of hers again."

"That's really not necessary. I'm –" Mariah started to explain but then pulled up short. She bit her lip and looked up into the Captain's eyes. They were… mesmerizing! Mariah let her eyes gaze into his, until he looked away again. She brought herself back to reality in that same instant.

"Jack…" She trailed off when he looked at her. Surprise and shock, the only signs of emotion she could see, swept across his face. He composed himself and let his arms fall from her sides.

"Owen, check the gunshot wound again, will you?" He didn't look away from Mariah as he said this.

Owen nodded and walked toward the medical area. Jack guided Mariah in the same direction. She sat herself down where Owen asked her to and let him get on with examining her injuries. All the while Jack stared at her like she was something out of a fairytale. She simply looked up at him every now and then.

"I'm curious. What exactly is going to happen to me when you're fed up with me not saying anything? I would just like to know… that's all." Mariah looked up into Jack's eye's, they were too deep, too meaningful, like pools of deep water that any woman would want to drown in, the colour of dark chocolate, almost like – _STOP IT!!! _If she let her mind get any more carried away she would most likely be kicked out of the Agency.

"What do you think will happen?" Jack's tone was polite, but underneath it was full of mockery.

"Oh, I donno! You could do pretty much anything." Was her genius answer. She had been going to say something quite witty, but then it had melted away as she looked up once again into his too-brilliant eyes.

"What do you want to happen?" Was his reply to her.

Thinking too erotically for her own good, "I just want to go home and think about all of this." She used her next tactic, lying.

"What? You don't want to pump us for information?" Jack asked, genuinely interested now.

"What else would I want to pump you for?… I really just said that, didn't I?"

"Yep. You sure did." Owen smiled at her before going back to his work.

Mariah looked into Owen's mind. She thought that she thought erotically! This guy was off the charts!

"I know what you're thinking! Don't even go there, cos that ain't ever gonna happen!" Mariah all but shouted the words at him. She was honestly shocked by what he had been thinking.

"What do you mean you 'know what he's thinking'" Jack asked Mariah. She looked up and felt her will simply melt away like it was never there.

"Um…" Was her brilliant reply.

"Um… What? You can't tell us that either?" Jack unleashed the full force of his eyes on her.

"No. I can't." Mariah was quiet then and let Owen finish his work. The Agency would be looking for her soon if she didn't report back. Mariah looked down at her watch and gaped at the time. Two fifteen… in the afternoon! How long had she been out? It must have been at least seven hours. They must be going crazy searching for her. She needed to get away, and fast.


	4. Letting Him In

'Why had he brought her to a bar? Did he really think that he could get information out of her this way? Who knew?' Mariah thought to herself as she sat, waiting for Jack to come back with their drinks.

As Jack walked over he smiled at Mariah and set her drink down in front of her before he sat down. Mariah ran her finger around the edge of her glass a couple of times as she thought about her current situation. Jack looked at her and she was the first to break the silence between them.

"Look, I know that I'm not supposed to know anything about this but –"

"No. No buts'. You and I both know that you don't need any proof that aliens exist. So it's worth knowing I'm probably the only one you can tell."

"Ok then. I work for a secret organization that no-one in the world knows about, that includes Torchwood, yes I know who you are. We go around Wales, England, Scotland and Ireland; we take care of the crime on the streets and other rogue agencies out to kill innocent people. The Agency also deals with the supernatural and the extraterrestrial. The Agency is run by and totally composed of women over the age of eighteen." Mariah's will had broken, she'd told him.

"The Agency?" Jack inquired.

"The Agency, being the organization that I work for. And those scans and tests you lot ran on me while I was out cold, probably gave you a fair few things to think about as well." She explained.

"Well, I'm impressed that you held onto that for so long. But why did you feel the need to hide this from us? We'd have kept quiet."

"I'm not supposed to tell anyone."

"So why did you?" Jack's eyes lit up with anticipation of her answer.

"Because you seemed like reasonable people and I wanted to take a non-work related risk. Just one thing, please don't retcon me!"

"Why would I do that when we're looking for someone with experience to make our team an even number?" Jack spoke calmly.

"Really? But… why me?"

"Because you're smart, have telekinesis, telepathy and extremely enhanced senses. You're incredibly agile when not injured and…you have two hearts."

"Hold on! Rewind and freeze! You want me to join Torchwood? I'm still working for The Agency. I can't have three lives!"

"What do you mean three? I thought it was four." Jack, who had been looking down at his drink, suddenly looked up – straight into her eyes.

Mariah blushed, looked down and said, "No, I gave up my teaching career ages ago. How the hell did you -"

"Don't worry Mariah. But look if you want to join, you need to turn up in front of the water tower at nine am sharp. Ok?"

"Ok then." Mariah's tone was confident as she got up and took a step toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Jack asked in earnest.

"Back to the agency to report in, and then I'm going home and going to bed. I really need some sleep." She turned and walked away and as she did, Jack eyed her hungrily, not wanting to love her but not being able to stop himself from doing so.


End file.
